Department of Forensic Medicine, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad-500095
*Corresponding author: B. Karunakar, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Osmania Medical College, Koti, Hyderabad-500095, Telangana, Email id: drbkarunakar@yahoo.com
Online published on 31 May, 2016.
Wild mushrooms that grow in forests and meadows, are of various types, and it is common for the local population to consume them. Eating poisonous mushrooms can lead to various types of reactions.
To understand the clinical manifestations and prognosis of mushroom poisoning in this region
One hundred and three cases (65 women and 38 men) of mushroom poisoning recorded at the emergency ward of Osmania Medical College hospital, Hyderabad, between 2012–2014 (3 years) were evaluated. The first symptoms seen were loss of consciousness, fatigue, dizziness, severe headaches, abdominal discomfort and vomiting.
The patients’ age ranged from 13 to 70 years and 38 of them were males and the remaining 65 were females. Overall, 55.8% of mushroom poisoning cases occurred in patients from rural areas. The most frequent symptoms (85.4%) were nausea and vomiting (81.2%). Complete blood cell count revealed that 38.4% of the patients had leukocytosis but all of them had platelet counts of less than 100000.
This study showed that 97% cases had mild to moderate symptoms of poisoning and these patients were treated by supportive therapies. However, further toxicological studies need to be performed to establish what toxins and species are responsible for mushroom toxicity.
Mushroom Poisoning, Nausea, Vomiting
